Saturday, February 20, 1999
CYCLONES 5, ORLANDO 4
Shootout win snaps 5-game losing streak
BY DAVE HELLER
Enquirer contributor
Maybe Cyclones coach Ron Smith should start worrying.
Smith said he hasn't been so concerned that his team had lost its five games previous to Friday's contest, saying the Cyclones could have won in four of the five losses.
On Friday, the Cyclones should have won, but blew a three-goal advantage to Orlando and had to settle for a 5-4 shootout win at Firstar Center. Alexandre Volchkov, who has yet to score in 10 games with the Cyclones, broke the shootout deadlock on the eighth shooter.
“It's a step in the right direction, but we have to play better with a lead,” Todd Simon said. “We'll take the two points, but we have to improve our overall game.”
The Cyclones (30-22-4) have won just once in regulation in their last 10 games, and in that one win Cincinnati blew a four-goal lead to Cleveland before winning with 30 seconds left.
“I think we're climbing out of a slump; I don't know that were going in deeper,” Smith said. “You sort of claw your way out. If we were out, the game would have been 5-1.”
The Cyclones dominated Orlando (33-20-2) early, outshooting the Solar Bears 32-16 after two periods, with Ed Patterson scoring in each of the first two periods. His two goals matched Cincinnati's offensive output over its last three games.
But Orlando scored with just 3.2 seconds left in the second to cut the Cyclones lead to 4-2.
The Solar Bears tied the game 4-4, as Grigori Panteleyev scored a shorthanded goal 3:16 into the third period while Todd Krygier fired a slapshot through the pads of Cyclones goalie Jani Hurme with 8:15 to play.
Smith also should be concerned about Cincinnati's physical presence. Prior to Friday's game, the Cyclones had incurred only three fighting major penalties since Jan. 1, a span of 19 games. Cincinnati ranks second to last in the IHL in major penalties.
While the two teams mixed it up several times during the game, few punches were thrown until there was 3:02 left in the second period.
Alan Egeland had been chiding and hitting Simon all game, but no one came to the defense of the Cyclones' second leading scorer until Gilbert Dionne, the team's leading scorer, stepped in with 3:02 to play and clubbed Egeland several times.
Orlando ....... 0 2 2 0—4
Cincinnati ....... 1 3 0 1—5
First period: 1, C, Patterson 5 (Nemeth, Dionne), ppg, 8:58.
Second period: 2, C, Chervyakov 2 (Shevalier, Patterson), shg, 6:24; 3, O, Pantaleyev 22, 7:23; 4, C, Nemeth 2 (Patterson), 15:34; 5, C, Patterson 6 (Kjenstad), 16:50; 6, O, McDonough 14 (Neaton), 19:56.
Third period: 7, O, Panteleyev 23 (Richards, Sevigny), shg, 3:16; 8, O, Krygier 15 (Law, Oduya), 11:25.
Shootout goals: Orlando, Panteleyev, McDonough; Cincinnati, Simon, Kjenstad, Volchkov.
Shots on goal: Orl 7-9-13-29; Cin 16-16-6-38. Power play opportunities: Orl 0-12; Cin 1-12. Goalies: Orl, Deschenes (2-2-1); Cin, Hurme (21-10-3). Attendance: 9,852.
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